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Having Defeated the ‘Big C,’ Daniel Jacobs is Hardly Intimidated by Canelo
When it comes to sports movies, Hollywood has always been partial to boxing. Aside from fictional characters like Rocky Balboa, biopics, some of which have been quite good if not always factually accurate, have been made about Jim Corbett, Jake LaMotta, James J. Braddock, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Chuck Wepner, Micky Ward, Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran, Vinny Pazienza and, of course, Muhammad Ali. There also were a couple of made-for-TV flicks about Rocky Marciano which, sad to say, failed to do the real Rocky justice.
But there are other, seemingly enthralling stories of actual fighters that have yet to get the silver-screen treatment. You’d think someone with clout in La La Land would consider doing something on either or both of the Sugar Rays, Robinson and Leonard. Bernard Hopkins’ tale of his lengthy championship reign after doing hard time in prison would seem to merit a look, as would the inspiring careers of Matthew Saad Muhammad and Arturo Gatti, both of whom made an art form of rallying to win fights they had no business winning.
And if some enterprising producer is looking for a project about a never-say-die scrapper who whipped an opponent scarier than anything he could ever face in the ring, he or she need look no further than the aptly nicknamed “Miracle Man,” Daniel Jacobs, whose career – and earthly existence – was imperiled by osteosarcoma, a rare and insidious form of bone cancer. Eight years ago a large tumor wrapped itself around Jacobs’ spine, paralyzing the then-24-year-old and consigning him to a wheelchair. Told by doctors he likely would never box again and should be thankful that the osteosarcoma, which was malignant, was caught early enough to likely save his life, Jacobs’ response was to buckle down and work hard enough to whip the “Big C,” cancer, as scary a word as a shout of “shark!” is to summertime beachgoers.
After 17 months of physically and emotionally draining treatment, Jacobs resumed a career that many had wrongly assumed was finished. Thus was conferred upon him the inspirational nickname that suggests that the human spirit indeed can be unconquerable, if bolstered by the kind of resiliency, courage and foresight exhibited by the Brooklyn native who already has demonstrated he is up to the task of defying long odds.
But the story of Daniel Jacobs remains a work in progress, a potential movie in search of a rousing ending. Such an exclamation point might or might not be furnished Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, when the now-32-year-old Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs) puts his IBF middleweight championship on the line against Canelo Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs), who holds the WBA, WBC, lineal and The Ring magazine 160-pound titles.
The bout, which will be streamed internationally by DAZN, is another instance of Jacobs confronting a fearsome “Big C” in the form of Canelo, a -500 wagering favorite (meaning you’d have to bet $500 to win $100) who appears to have everything going for him, with the exceptions of a couple of inches of height and a bit longer reach that certify Jacobs as the marginally larger man. But bigger doesn’t necessarily translate to better, especially inside the ropes, and it will be up to Jacobs to again demonstrate that he is capable of making miracles. When the opening bell sounds, he will be tasked with the formidable challenge of upsetting a highly skilled, laser-focused Mexican national hero during Cinco de Mayo weekend, and in a venue that has become almost as much of a home-field advantage for Alvarez as if the fight were being staged in his backyard in Guadalajara.
“This is a can’t-miss type of fight, a Hall of Famer-type of fight,” said Jacobs, widely regarded as the third-best middleweight in a global landscape where the drop-off after the top two, Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, is and will continue to be stark until proven otherwise. “When you think about top pound-for-pound fighters today, I’m not sure if I’m on that list. But wherever the fans choose to place me, that’s what I’m grateful for.
“The general consensus is that Canelo is not only the face of boxing, but he is probably pound-for-pound one of the best in the sport. I think a victory over him, a convincing victory, would definitely solidify my spot and it would be inevitable for people to know who Daniel Jacobs is.”
Jacobs is correct; as accomplished as he is, he is nowhere to be found on the top 10 pound-for-pound ratings posted by the Boxing Writers Association of America, The Ring and ESPN.com. The vastly popular Canelo, in addition to being the most highly paid active fighter (in October 2018 he signed a five-year, 11-fight deal with DAZN for a staggering $365 million) since Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s retirement, is third on all of the aforementioned lists.
So what other edges does Alvarez seemingly have going into what appears to be, at least on paper, one of the more attractive matchups that can be made in 2019? Well, he is 28, nearly four years younger than Jacobs; he will be appearing for the 12th time in Las Vegas, for the fifth time at the T-Mobile Arena and for the fifth time during Cinco de Mayo weekend. His appearances in Vegas are the boxing equivalents of when Elvis came to town, a cause for breathless celebration not only for locals but for his many fans who pour into town like a tsunami, filling hotels, restaurants and showrooms while loudly proclaiming their support of the red-haired rock star wearing padded gloves.
Jacobs, on the other hand, is most comfortable fighting on the East Coast, especially in New York City venues. Although this will be his ninth bout in Vegas, it will be his first appearance there in nearly nine years, when, leading on all three scorecards, he failed to claim the vacant WBO middleweight belt when he was knocked out in the fifth round by now-retired Russian Dmitry Pirog. In terms of fan support on Saturday night, Jacobs and his smattering of supporters will be as outnumbered as bow tie-wearing certified public accountants at a bikers convention.
But none of that will matter when the first punch is thrown in earnest. Boxing destiny often is played out in strange and unusual ways, and Alvarez-Jacobs would seem to have the potential to provide a surprise or two.
“It is a high-risk fight,” Alvarez acknowledged of the very real threat posed by Jacobs. “I believe Jacobs is unique because he’s a very complete fighter. He can box, he can punch. He’s tall, agile. But I have fought all the styles out there. I can adapt and overcome. I want to be remembered as one of the greats in boxing. I want to continue writing history.”
Can Jacobs triumph? He not only believes he can, but will, and do so emphatically. “I think I’m the bigger hitter and definitely the stronger fighter,” he said, an opinion that may or not be valid. In a town where fortunes can be won or lost on the turn of a single card, boxing is not all that different from high-stakes Texas Hold ’Em. You win big or lose big, but to do either you have to have enough gumption to take a seat at the table.
“This is how Danny has basically been living his life,” said Andre Rozier, Jacobs’ longtime trainer. “He’s been places that none of us ever will – and I pray, never have to – visit. Danny has been through the worst that anybody could be through, and he once again will rise to the occasion.”
Bernard Fernandez is the retired boxing writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. He is a five-term former president of the Boxing Writers Association of America, an inductee into the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Atlantic City Boxing Halls of Fame and the recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism and the Barney Nagler Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing.
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As Callum Walsh stood on the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building with fists clenched, it harked back to actor Jimmy Cagney, an actor of Irish descent, yelling “Top of the world, ma,” in the 1949 motion picture White Heat.
The Irish-born Walsh brings that kind of attitude.
Once again Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs) returns to New York City and this time faces Scottish warrior Dean Sutherland (19-1, 7 KOs) in a super welterweight match set for 10 rounds on Sunday, March 16, at Madison Garden Theater.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions event.
Flanked by master trainer Freddie Roach and managed by Dana White it brings questions as to the direction that Walsh will be steered. It was just revealed that White will head a new boxing promotion outfit with big plans to make a more UFC type of organization.
Is Walsh part of the plans?
It’s a lot to digest as the hot prospect from Cork, Ireland proceeds toward world championship dreams. Can he cleanse his mind of this major distraction?
Walsh and Sutherland are both southpaws who are meeting at the crossroads in the heart of New York City. At this point of their careers a loss can mean rebooting and taking a few steps backward. The winner moves on to the next crucial step.
Sutherland, 26, hails from Aberdeen and has never fought outside of his native Scotland. It’s a lot to ask of someone whose country’s population of 5 million is dwarfed by New York City’s 8.2 million inhabitants all packed together.
Ireland’s population is also 5 million. So basically, both Walsh and Sutherland are on even terms when they enter the prize ring on Sunday.
Who knows what kind of competition Sutherland faced in Scotland. He beat two undefeated fighters and also conquered two foes who each had more than 100 losses on their resumes.
Meanwhile, Walsh has faced only one undefeated fighter but handled veterans like Benjamin Whitaker, Ismael Villareal and Carlos Ortiz Cervantes. But you never know until they meet face to face. Anything can happen in a prize ring.
Walsh has a three-fight knockout streak. Sutherland has slept two out of his last three foes. They will be joined by several Irish fighters on the card plus Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin.
Dana, Turk and TKO
The announcement earlier in the week that Turki Alalshikh together with TKO Group Holdings that include Dana White and Nick Khan formed a new boxing promotion company.
White, who does not own UFC but guides the MMA ship, works for Endeavor, the parent company of UFC and WWE. Their events are all shown on ESPN, the powerful sports network (albeit WWE’s flagship weekly show “Raw” recently moved to Netflix). It seems Endeavor has decided to allow White to guide its boxing program too.
Where does that leave Top Rank?
It seems the partnership plans to rid boxing of the many sanctioning organizations and have only one champion per division. The champion will be given a Ring Magazine belt. Recently, Turki Alalshikh purchased The Ring magazine from Golden Boy Promotions. This seems to have been the plan all along.
Is this good for boxing?
Mark Shapiro, the president of TKO Group Holdings, said:
“This is a strategic opportunity to re-imagine the sport of boxing globally. TKO has the deep expertise, promotional prowess, and longstanding relationships. HE Turki Alalshikh and Sela share our passion and vision for evolving the current model. Together, we can bring the sweet science back to its rightful place in the forefront of the global sports ecosystem.”
DAZN all day
Three boxing cards take place on Saturday beginning with WBA featherweight titlist Nick Ball (21-0-1) the human cannonball, defending against former champion TJ Doheny from Liverpool, England. The first bout begins around 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Coast Time). Ball likes to charge forward and punch. Doheny is no slouch and has experience.
Later, Matchroom Boxing presents a show from Florida that features Edgar Berlanga (22-1) fresh off a solid contest against Canelo Alvarez. He fights undefeated Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) in a super middleweight match. Also, Ammo Williams (17-1) returns to face dangerous Patrice Volny (19-1) in a middleweight clash. The card starts at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time.
Saturday evening MarvNation presents Amado Vargas (11-0) meeting Eduardo Hernandez (8-2) in a super lightweight contest at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. Start time is set for 8 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time). The son of the great Fernando Vargas remains undefeated.
Fights to Watch
Sat. DAZN 11:30 a.m. Nick Ball (21-0-1) vs TJ Doheny (26-5).
Sat. DAZN 3:30 p.m. Edgar Berlanga (22-1) vs Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) ; Ammo Williams (17-1) vs Patrice Volny (19-1).
Sat. DAZN 8 p.m. Amado Vargas (11-0) vs Eduardo Hernandez (8-2).
Sun. UFC Fight Pass 3 p.m. Callum Walsh (12-0) vs Dean Sutherland (19-1).
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“He wants to test himself and find out just how good he really is,” said International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz regarding super lightweight Bryce Mills. Peltz, who has dealt with a wide range of fighters throughout his lifetime in boxing, recognized the fire that burned inside Mills at a local show in Philadelphia in early 2022. At the time Mills had less than ten professional fights under his belt.
Mills hails from Liverpool in upstate New York and trains in nearby Syracuse. Currently 17-1 (6 KOs), he’s undefeated in his last 11 since losing a split decision to a Puerto Rican fighter from the Bronx who had fought much stiffer competition.
The fight in question that caught Peltz’s eye was arranged by the well-known and respected matchmaker Nick Tiberi who paired Mills in an intriguing fight against Daiyaan Butt, a tough and skilled fighter from the Philadelphia area. They fought at LIVE Casino in South Philadelphia on Feb. 24, 2022.
Although the crowd on hand that night favored Butt, Mills, although then only 20 years old, wasn’t intimidated and was the clear-cut winner at the end of their exciting, back-and-forth battle. This showed Peltz that Mills was serious about seeing just how far his ability could take him.
That’s why Peltz decided to join forces with Mills. Despite being semi-retired, Peltz is still active enough to help guide fighters through the ever-changing wild west landscape that is boxing. Since their union after Mill’s victory over Butt, Mills has been on a nine-fight winning streak heading into what Peltz believes is the toughest test of his career this Friday against Alex Martin 18-6 (6 KOs) of Chicago.
“I didn’t want him to take this fight, it’s a dangerous fight for him. Martin is a southpaw and is tricky, he’s a veteran and is experienced. His father (Mills’s father) called me and said that Bryce wanted the fight, to his credit,” says Peltz. One look at Martin’s resume and it confirms what Peltz stated. All six of Martin’s losses came against fighters with outstanding records including a former world title challenger. Martin also holds some quality wins over undefeated prospects that were at similar points in their careers to where Mills currently is in his development.
Bryce Mills looks like a fighter (he’s always in shape), acts like a fighter (testing his craft against all comers), walks the walk of a fighter, and fights with a fan-friendly pedal-to-the-metal style. That is a winning combination that could be the breath of fresh air the boxing world could surely use and on Friday night at the Wind Creek Events Center in Bethlehem, PA, live on DAZN, Mills is going to have the opportunity to put the boxing world on notice.
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DAZN will televise the Mills-Martin fight along with a main event that features undefeated middleweight Euri Cedeno (10-0-1, 9 KO’s) against Ulices Rivera (11-1, 7 KO’s). Knockout artist Joseph Adorno (20-4-1, 17 KOs) and undefeated Reading, PA super featherweight Julian Gonzalez (15-0-1, 11 KOs) appear in separate bouts on the undercard. Tickets for the Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotion show are still available through Ticketmaster. Lobby doors open at 5:00 pm. First bell is at 7:00.
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Overshadowed by countrymen Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani, Kenshiro Teraji embossed his Hall of Fame credentials in Tokyo tonight with a dramatic 12th-round stoppage of Seigo Yuri Akui. At stake were two pieces of the world flyweight title. A two-time world title-holder a division below (108), Teraji (25-1, 16 KOs) was appearing in his 16th world title fight.
This Japan vs. Japan matchup will go down in Japanese boxing lore as one of the best title fights ever on Japanese soil. Through the 11 completed rounds, Akui was up 105-104 on two of the cards with Teraji up 106-103 on the third. However, judging by his appearance, Akui was more damaged. The stoppage by Japanese referee Katsuhiko Nakamura, which came at the 1:31 mark of the final round with Akui still standing, struck some as premature but the gallant Akui was well-beaten.
A second-generation prizefighter, Kenshiro Teraji, 33, came bearing the WBC 112-pound belt which he acquired this past October with an 11th round TKO of Nicaraguan veteran Cristofer Rosales. The 29-year-old Akui (21-3-1) was making the second defense of the WBA strap he won with a wide decision over previously undefeated Artem Dalakian.
Although Teraji keeps on rolling – this was his seventh straight win which began with a third-round blast-out of Masamichi Yabuki, avenging his lone defeat – things aren’t getting any easier for the so-called “Amazing Boy.” In his last three fights, which include a hard-earned majority decision over Carlos Canizales, he answered the bell for 35 rounds.
By and large, fighters in his weight class don’t age well. While Teraji is starting to slip, he has no intention of retiring any time soon. His goal, he says is to unify the title and eventually move up a notch to pursue a world title in a third weight class. The other pieces of the 112-pound title are currently the property of Mexico’s Angel Ayala who defends his IBF diadem against Yabuki later this month and LA’s Anthony Olascuaga who was in action on tonight’s undercard.
Other Bouts of Note
Olascuaga, a stablemate of Junto Nakatani, trained by 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year Rudy Hernandez, advanced to 9-1 (6) with a hard-earned unanimous decision over Hiroto Kyoguchi. The judges had it 118-110 and 117-111 (scores condemned as too wide) with the third judge having it 6-6 in rounds but scoring it 114-113 in acknowledgement of the knockdown credited to Olascuaga in round 11, the result of a short left that produced a delayed reaction.
Olascuaga was making the second defense of his WBO belt in his fifth straight trip to Japan. In his lone defeat, he was thrust against the formidable Teraji as a late sub, acquitting himself well in defeat (L TKO 9) despite having only five pro fights under his belt and having only 10 days to prepare. Kyoguchi (19-3) had previously held titles in the sport’s two smallest weight classes.
In a big upset, Puerto Rico’s Rene Santiago, thought to be well past his prime at age 32, wrested the WBO light flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Shokichi Iwata who was making the first defense of the title he won with a third-round stoppage of Spain’s previously undefeated Jairo Noriega. Tokyo’s Iwata was a consensus 9/1 favorite.
Santiago, who advanced to 14-4 (9), won by scores of 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112. It was the second loss for Iwata who had knocked out 11 of his first 15 opponents.
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Featured Articles4 weeks agoResults and Recaps from Madison Square Garden where Keyshawn Davis KO’d Berinchyk
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Featured Articles2 weeks agoLamont Roach holds Tank Davis to a Draw in Brooklyn
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Featured Articles3 weeks agoGreg Haugen (1960-2025) was Tougher than the Toughest Tijuana Taxi Driver
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Featured Articles2 weeks agoGene Hackman’s Involvement in Boxing Went Deeper than that of a Casual Fan
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Featured Articles4 weeks agoThe Hauser Report: Keyshawn Davis at Madison Square Garden
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Featured Articles4 weeks agoLucas Bahdi Paid His Dues, Quite Literally, and Now his Boxing Career is Flourishing
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Featured Articles3 weeks agoThe Hauser Report — Riyadh Season and Sony Hall: Very Big and Very Small
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Featured Articles6 days agoFriday Boxing Recaps: Observations on Conlan, Eubank, Bahdi, and David Jimenez